Your Tender Tendril Touch
by Nutcase friend
Summary: Ronin x Tara. Everyone knows Ronin and Tara had been in love. But did they ever tell each other? Did Ronin really hold back that whole time? This is the story of how they were years before the events of Epic, when Nod's father was still alive and MK wasn't involved in any of it. A Romance and adventure. I plan on it being pretty short, just a few long chapters.


_Hey guys. This is going to be unusual because this is a purely romance story and it will be short. The first part of this is the events after the Movie Epic, but the second part in italics is memories of years before the events, and Nod is like 6? Nod and Mk do not really feature in this, because it is the love story between Ronin and Tara. It is also really long, so, yeah. it'l take a while to read. Also, if you don't like Smut, DO NOT READ THIS! There's not a lot of it in, but there is a relatively smutty scene, so, yuh._ _Brengun, you're not allowed to read this. You're banned from reading it lol  
_ _Characters and settings aren't mine, which is also unusual, but i really wanted Tara and Ronin to have a love story because Oh my god. They were so amazingly cute and yet i was so heartbroken when Ronin lost Tara.  
_ Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

The sun had already yawned itself over the top of the neighbouring hills, as Nod fastened his shin guard tighter, smiling in satisfaction as he felt the familiar pressure. He walked onto the platform which protruded from Ronin's chambers, high in a tree which sat closest to Moonhaven. Nod had been looking for a spot for himself, but after everything had happened, it was good to be home again, for a while at least. He blinked against the sunlight, then took a deep breath in as he looked down the awakening haven.

Some of the leafmen were going about their duties, doing drills or scouting borders. There was moving thistle jinn and dandelion jinn and orchid jinn, who occasionally looked up and around in the fresh morning taking it in like Nod was. His sparrow, Phlic, poked her head out from her wing on a nearby branch, and shook out her feathers, then hopped over onto the platform.

Nod reached up and patted her with a smile as she twittered and cooed. He reached up and was about to saddle her, but movement to his left made him drop down again and draw his sword. He breathed out and put it away when he saw it was only Point, Ronin's hummingbird.

"Heya Point. What are you doing out here? You should be with Ronin." Nod walked over, and quickly realised that he didn't have a saddle or bridal on. He tilted his head with a slight pout. "Wha...?"

He turned and looked back at the entrance to the chambers, his eyebrows coming together as he took a deep breath in. Nod patted Point, then walked back inside, passing his own room and the 'kitchen' and paused outside an oak-bark door, strong and smooth. It had patterns carved into it, swirling and curving like mists…or vines.

Ronin wasn't one who you'd think would have a decorated door, but it was in these little things that you saw the queen's memory, and how she had influenced everyone and everything. When Nod was about twelve, only a year after his father's death, he had caught Ronin carving the patterns in, with a strangely steady hand. Nod had asked what he was doing, and Ronin stood back with a slight smirk, and had replied, _"Door was a little dull, decided to give it a little life."_

Ronin wasn't one to smirk either, and Nod suspected that maybe he had been trying to make Nod feel better. Later that day, he had helped Nod do his own door with familiar patterns.

Nod placed his hand lightly on Ronin's door, following some of the curves for a moment, when he took a deep breath and knocked lightly.  
He waited, and then sighed.

"I hope he's not naked," Nod mumbled, then opened the door and stepped in, pausing with his hand on the door.

The room was dark, but the light from the doorway fell on a plain room of the tree's hollow, the small 'window' covered with a heavy succulent leaf.

On a plain but large bed laid Ronin, shirtless but the rest of him was smothered by a woven blanket, laying on his chest with his face pointing towards the door. Nod couldn't help but be surprised. Sleeping in was _never_ something Ronin had done. As commanding officer, he was usually up and about before the sun was, doing drills and preparing for the day.

"Uh, Ronin?" Nod knocked again, louder. Ronin startled, and blinked repeatedly, then pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking up.

"Oh no." he grumbled in his light Irish accent. "How long have I slept in?"

"Not much but-,"

Ronin kicked the blankets away, wearing simple pants, and stepped out of bed quickly.

Nod continued, "But you can sleep in more if you want."

"No. I was stupid for already sleeping in this much. We've got a session with the youngest recruits today." He made his way over to the wall where his uniform hung, and Nod looked away as Ronin started to get dressed quickly.

"Well I could take it." Nod suggested.

"You?" Ronin said, amused, as he slipped on the undershirt for the chest armour. "You'll teach them how to turn a perimeter scout into a race."

"Speed is important."

"And so is stealth," he clicked on the chest and back guard, "And intelligence." He strapped on the shoulder and arm guards.

"How did you even manage to sleep in? I've never seen you do it before."

"Because I've never done it before, not since I was your age."

"Bad sleep?" Nod asked with an eyebrow raised, knowing that sometimes the commanding officer could go a whole night without a wink of sleep, and you could see it on his face the next morning. Nod didn't have to ask what kept him up all night.

Ronin paused as he reached for the commanding officer over-shirt, white and gold without sleeves. "Not really."

Nod immediately felt bad. "Dreams." It wasn't a question. Ronin nodded, and then put on the shirt.  
"I'm sorry, I should have let you sleep."

"Don't be ridiculous." Ronin grabbed his sword and tightened the belt around his waist as he made his way out the door, Nod following behind. "They were bound to happen eventually. And someone's got to keep you in line." Ronin threw a smile over his shoulder at Nod, who smirked in response, but still felt his heart clench with guilt.

They walked out into the sunlight, and Ronin grabbed his saddle and bridle from the nearby hook, as Point hopped over to him, flitting friendlily. Nod watched him for a moment, saddling Point with a determination, as if trying to crush the memories and the dreams with the saddle itself. Nod sighed, and then started saddling Phlic.

* * *

The recruits were talking and shoving noisily below then as they drifted down to them. Finn, the redheaded second in command, could be seen on his own bird nearby, watching.

"Finn doesn't look happy." Nod said with a smile as Phlic fluttered next to the buzzing hummingbird.

"He's holding back a laugh, believe me. He was just like them when we were being trained."

"And you were the stick in the mud of the class right, like those ones." Nod points to the few students that weren't messing around or testing out their swords.

"No, actually. Your father and I were those ones." Ronin points to some of the rowdiest and fastest moving ones, wrestling each other.

"You're kidding. What happened, you saw a Boggan and got scared into orders?"

"Those who didn't, ended up dead."

They landed their birds, and the recruits had the sense to quieten down at the presence of the commander, much like Nod had after what Ronin had said.  
Finn walked over, with a wrap of wooden training swords under his arm.

"How much training have they had?" Ronin asked, not stopping as Nod and Finn fell into step beside him.

"A week of basics."

"Basics, or basic of the basics?"

Finn hesitated, then sagged slightly. "Basic of the basics."

Ronin nodded, not smiling, even though he would be. Nod had seen this before. You had to be the recruits scary mentor before you were their friend. You had to be something separate from a mortal leafman, a rock in the hard place and an invincible force. It would scare and inspire them to be as skilled as Ronin, who could jump the furthest and beat down the most Boggans.

He walked forward, and for their own good, they fell into line.

"I've been told you've all been showed the basics, and for a bunch of sixteen-year old's that should be easy." He said, pacing back and forth like a snake sliding towards its prey. Nod found this funny considering he had been a new recruit three years ago.

"But you have me for today as your trainer, and my philosophy is watch and learn, and only _then_ will I start to teach you. Nod," Ronin flicked his head to indicate Nod to come closer, and Nod stepped over, looking as intimidating as he could. But some of these kids knew him, and his reputation as the most troublesome of the leafmen would not be very hard to some across. Finn tossed Nod one of the training swords.

Nod nodded a thanks, readying the sword in hand, as Ronin turned and addressed the students again, unstrapping his own sword belt and slinging it over Point's saddle, who flew onto a nearby root next to Phlic.

"Now you're going to watch us fight. Every soldier has their own unique style and technique, but all similar moves. It's how and when you use them that matter. Remember, our advantage as a leafmen is speed and agility."

Ronin caught the sword thrown to him. Commander and apprentice circled each other.

Nod jabbed forward first, then flicked his sword up with a twist of his arm that Ronin avoided by ducking to the side. Nod drew his elbow back and twisted his arm back again, catching Ronin's return swing. He swirled his body around and forced Ronin's blade down, but Ronin dug his sword into the ground and lifted himself until his legs caught Nod in the chest, sending him back in a roll, all of this happening in an instant. Nod flicked himself to his feet and managed to block Ronin's next few blows, aimed at his shoulder, his middle and his side. His sword met Ronin's, and he tried sliding down the blade, but Ronin twisted his shoulder and Nod was forced back again by the heavy muscle slammed into his chest, regripping his sword with both hands.

Nod could tell Ronin was holding back on him. He knew for a fact that Ronin should have taken him down by now, but he wanted to show the kids a few tricks, and knew that Nod should have at least a few visual tips.

Nod dug his sword into the ground and flicked sand, dirt and dust upwards towards Ronin's eyes, but the commander saw it coming and backflipped out the way, landing and looking up just when Nod came down with a heavy swing. Ronin parried it and tried driving an elbow into Nod's chin, but to his own surprise, Nod managed to duck back, but while his eyes were back Ronin jabbed with the hilt of his sword into Nod's belly with such strength that Nod was sent to his knee with a grunt, and had to roll out the way of a knee to the head. He whistled his sword up and then down and around, trying to force Ronin back, but the commander parried, blocked and met each of the swings, only being on the defensive and not trying to move in on Nod just yet.

"Finn," Ronin commanded the name, and in a space shorter than a heart-beat, Finn had jumped in and was using his own jabbing and stabbing moves against Ronin.  
It was two on one, and it should have been easy, but it wasn't. In fact, it might have even been harder, because Ronin had upped his own effort, and his blows were stronger, reverberating through Nod's arms and into his core. Nod gritted his teeth, and tried using his speed to duck the attacks and instead use tricks and twists to get in on an opening.

The students were awed, gasping and going 'whoa' loudly when Ronin almost chopped at Finn's side heavily, but the left tenant managed to block, barely, but the move was awkward, and with a struggling grunt the red head went to his knees and swept the swords over his head, and rolled away, barely.  
Ronin must have decided enough was enough, because he flicked a leg out as Finn twisted out of the way of a sword swing, and caught Finn on the back of the knee, sending him to the ground, then he parried a jab from Nod, grabbed the hilt of Nod's sword, and used his superior strength to drive it under Nod's chin, sending him back and down, while flicking his own sword around and catching Finn in the back of the head as he tried to rise.

And just like that the fight was over, both lower ranked soldiers on the ground, groaning and rubbing sore spots as the students cheered. Ronin stabbed the swords into the ground and bowed, allowing a small smile on his lips.

* * *

Nod was still rubbing his bruised chin as the students were split into pairs and given practice swords, shown a few basic moves, and then allowed to train. Ronin walked among the groups, his hands behind his back. He would occasionally stop a pair, give a few tips, or swap some group around who had distinctive preferences in styles, so they couldn't get too used to one partner.

Finn sat down next to him on the root, slowly and with a groan.

"He was later than usual this morning." He commented.

Nod sighed. "He dreamt of her."

Finn frowned. "I've never known him to dream. But I suppose it's natural. I had never seen a love purer then theirs."

"Do you ever think he told her?"

"Do you?"

Nod looked away, up to the blue sky where no cloud was there to ruin the day.  
"No, but I think he showed her that he did."

Finn nodded in agreement, as they both watched the silver-haired commander. Some would mistake it for greying hair, like Nod had when he was young, but Finn had said it had always been that colour, even when they were kids. A stony grey that didn't glitter or shine on the sun because of how it had always been cropped short. No  
one knew if it was soft or brittle. The only person that might have was gone.

"I miss the look he had on his face when she was around." Finn said quietly. Nod looked at him, and saw memory there. "I grew up with him, your father, and Queen Tara, even though Ronin hides it in front of the younger ones. And he always had this look just for her, this one smile. It was hard to catch but…it was there."

"I only saw it once." Nod said sadly, remembering when the spirit of Queen Tara had returned, only for a few seconds to name the young marigold girl as the heir. But he had seen Ronin's face, his eyes watery but his smile full of so much…everything. And Tara's words, _There's that smile._

"We didn't know Tara was going to be next Queen until she was eighteen, and by then we were half-way through our training as leafmen, and she was the fastest of us. Naturally not the strongest, but that didn't matter. She would be there and then gone. It was Ronin's mission to beat her in a fight. The day he did, after being beaten half to death by her quick moves, the past queen named her heir and then died a year later, in her sleep." Finn sighed. "Tara went on to be queen and Ronin Commander, his first and foremost duty being to protect her. She could fight for herself, that was true, but she was usually busy protecting the citizens, so Ronin had to protect her."

"I've heard the stories." Nod said, watching the younger ones. "The toad invasion, the locust plague, Mandrake's first uprising attempt."

"And then his second."

They laughed.

"Ronin and I have been around for a hundred years, since the last Queen named Tara, and everyone in our generation. You'll live to be older than a hundred, and your children will be, these kids will be," he indicated to the training recruits, "it's a long life, and unfortunately that means you see things. Wars. Fights. And loved ones die."

"We just never thought _Ronin's_ loved one would die." Nod said. One of the girls below had dark skin and eyes like Tara had, and a similar smile, and he glanced towards Ronin. The commander had spotted her, but only paused for a moment with a smile and then turned away calmly.

"I was worried he'd spot that." Finn commented at the event.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been training that girl for a week with the others, and I almost feinted when I saw her for the first time. I thought it was Tara come back from the dead. I was worried he'd do the same."

"But she doesn't look _that_ much like the Queen."

"Up closer she does. You only ever saw Tara in dresses and finery, but we had seen her in battle clothes, puffing and growling as she battered at us with ease."

"Oh."

They watched for a few more minutes, then Finn stood. "I should get back down there and make sure Ronin doesn't kill one of them for using a stance that'll lose them the advantage."

Nod laughed, and watched the older soldier limp down to the training ground, the leaves moving in the breeze and throwing light and shadows around. His thoughts drifted to MK, and how she was doing. He always wondered about her. Wondered what she was doing, who she was meeting, and if she ever met someone else. Another stomper, handsome and strong…

His feelings for her were strong, he knew, but something that had been between Tara and Ronin…everyone had felt it, like a magic that had flowed between them when they looked at each other. Nod had only seen the special smile once, but there had always been something in Ronin's eyes, smile or not, when he'd looked at Queen Tara.

* * *

Ronin watched as the new recruits packed up for the day, many of them limping and wincing and rubbing bruises. They removed armour in the armoury, Finn helping some with stiff straps and rusted plates.

"Thanks for the lessons Commander."

Ronin looked down to his left, meeting the young girl's eyes. She was the dark skinned and haired girl that looked startlingly like Tara. There was a pretty even split of dark and light skinned leafmen, and the new recruits were no exception, but this one had a very similar face to the ex-queen.

"Uh, you're welcome." He sounded pathetic even to himself. He was meant to be intimidating, not…friendly.

"Is everything okay sir?"

"Yes, fine, just…" He couldn't think of what to say. How do you tell a girl that she looks so similar to the woman you loved?

She looked at her feet, and said, "I'm sorry. Everyone tells me I look like her. I shouldn't have addressed you."

"Don't be silly. I'm your commander and you would have had to talk to me sooner or later. You look a little like her, that's all. But you fight completely differently."

"Oh. How did she fight? I mean, how was she so different?"

Ronin crossed his arms over his chest. "She was quick. Too quick. You have a stronger build and are able to use that, even against the boys, but she wasn't so she had to use her slighter frame to her advantage."

He realised some of the other students were trying to listen in on the conversation, so he raised his voice only a little, so he could give them a side lesson.

"Queen Tara would beat most of us simply because she was the fastest. She'd cut all the straps off your uniform with a small dagger until she could elbow you in the softest spots."

"Many of the boys learnt quickly not to let her get too close." Finn commented, hanging up a shield. Most of the students were listening now.

"And do you remember Cadelle?" Ronin said with a smirk, leaning against the wall.

Finn laughed. "How could anyone forget?"

"Who's Cadelle?" Asked one of the boys, kneeling down to untie his boots.

Ronin barked out a laugh. "She's one of the toughest soldiers. Like you," She nodded to the likeness of Tara, "she had a stronger build, and used it. She was Tara's worst enemy during our years of training."

"She wasn't as fast as Tara," Finn continued for Ronin, "but because of her strength, she could take the hit, and would be able to wait it out until she found the opportunity to strike out and tackle her opponent to the ground."

"They were evenly matched for years." Ronin said. "Sometimes the whole class would stop in training to watch them battle each other. It was a draw as often as not."

"What about you?" the girl asked. Ronin would have to learn her name. "Did Queen Tara ever beat you?"

Finn laughed and slapped his knee. Ronin tried not to smile, but it failed, and he pulled on of the stools over and sat on it. Half the class sat down in response, or perched comfortably on the divets in the wall around them, whiel the rest continued to tack down.

"Tara beat me." He looked down at his hands, to hide how much he was smiling. "Every. Single. Day."

Eyes widened and jaws dropped with smiles.

Finn sat on his own stool, and as he spoke, heads turned his way. "She beat all of us, and like we said, only Cadelle was near her skill. Tara would learn as she fought, much faster than the rest of us."

"But she did have one weakness," Ronin said, and heads turned his way again. "If you managed to corner her, she wasn't able to move as much, and close combat was her weakest area, because it requires the strength she lacked."

"While Ronin here was the strongest of us all." Finn grumbled, clearly remembering bruises past and present caused from his life-long friend. "Some days he would beat the teachers with his strength and quick thinking. That's how Ronin beat Tara."

"You figured that once she'd be cornered, you'd be able to get her?" one of the other students asked, perched on a lump in the wall.

Ronin nodded once, his elbows rested on his knees. "I managed to trap her in a small cave during a tagging exercise, and she was one of the targets of the class. I went straight for where I thought she'd be, in an open space but with plenty of obstacles she could use to launch a defence from. I found a glen and found a track, and there she was."

"It took you so long to drive her into the cave." Finn said with a laugh.

"Luckily another weakness she had was that she depended on taking her target down easily. She was a sprinter, not a marathon runner, and my extra muscle allowed me to go longer without getting tired, and soon she was trapped. I managed to get her sword out of her grip, and then it was easy. Stamped on her foot, grabbed a wrist, and twisted her to the ground. Once there, she had no more tricks."

The class 'wowed' together, and Ronin couldn't help but smile.

"I wish she could show us how to be so quick." One of them said. Ronin's smile changed, and he said,

"She would want to. Once she got chosen as heir, she wasn't able to train with us anymore. The life of the forest was to be her responsibility, and she couldn't afford to be sick or injured. At least, that's what the elders said."

Finn sighed. "The fun was over, and the rest of the training was a breeze without her around, and far less fun. But," he shrugged, "then we became her guards, Ronin here making his was to commander."

"Not an easy feat, as Finn makes it sound." Ronin stood, grabbing his sword and donning his helmet once more. "You all did great today. Keep it up, and listen to Finn."

* * *

That night, the dreams stayed well away from him, but instead he lay awake for hours and hours, fighting back tears, letting them come, then fighting them back again. Sometimes he thought he could see her in his room, near the window. He'd sit up and be half-way to saying her name, but then he'd only see darkness, and soon that's all he could feel, too, as he threw himself back onto his side.

His slowing and speeding heart kept him awake until he heard Point, Phlic and the other birds outside start to sing. He sighed and sat up in bed, hearing Nod move around in the other chambers, cutting up some plants and plants for breakfast.  
 _  
Strange, he's not usually up_ this _early._ To be fair however, Ronin had slept in yesterday, which was unusual. They were both free to have their curiosities. He rubbed his aching eyes, knowing he would look like a wreck. Nod would sometimes mention it, and suggest he get back to bed, but Ronin had a job to do and a life to live.  
Looking down at his hands, Ronin's shoulders slumped, as he remembered the rare times he had touched her. Tara. His Queen Tara. The times her vines and tendrils would wrap around him tenderly and lovingly. When they were younger, they had tickled him, but the years of fighting, training, and enduring her teasing had made him immune to it. He rubbed his hands of the feeling.

He felt a tingle up his spine and looked around quickly as usual, but she wasn't there. As usual. He had to stop thinking she would ever just come back. She was gone. She was dead. He had to get used to that. He swallowed, calmed himself, and then got out of bed.

Nod turned when Ronin entered the room.

"Hey, you're up! Well, I mean, not that I'm surprised but…wow, you look terrible. Bad sleep?"

"No sleep."

"Oh."  
Ronin looked down at the makeshift table, where two bundles of food sat.

"What's this?"

"I made you some breakfast. I didn't see you eat yesterday."

"Because I didn't."

Nod dropped his face into his hand, then pulled his fingers back through his medium length scruffy hair. "Ronin, I'm serious, you have to stop doing this to yourself."

"I'm not doing anything to myself." Ronin snapped, scowling.

"Exactly! Have you taken one day off since she died? No! You barely sleep, you rarely eat. You think I don't hear you cry at night?"  
Ronin didn't say anything. All he could do was glare.

Nod shook his head, his eyes strangely watery. "We lost a Queen, but you lost something more, and I'm not going to stop trying to take care of you until you're better."

"I'm not your responsibility. I can take care of myself." He went to leave, but Nod drew his dagger and stabbed through the sleeve on his clothes between the guard plates and latched him to the table. If Ronin wasn't so furious, he would have been proud at the precision.

"I said the same thing to you, remember? And yet you still tried taking care of me, and it worked. I didn't realise it then but I needed that. I needed help. Now let me help you."

Both of them were bent over the table, Nod's hand firmly gripping the dagger hilt and Ronin's fingers digging into Nod's arm guard. His teeth were gritted.

As he realised Nod was right.

Ronin let him go with a sigh. Nod drew the dagger out, and Ronin slipped to the ground, kneeling, and then he sat with his legs crossed beneath him. Nod sat in front of him with and identical position.

"I'm sorry Nod. I've let you down, again." He mumbled, rubbing his face.

"Hey, it's like I've done it plenty of times before."

"But you're allowed to. You're young. Making mistakes is what you do to learn. Me? I should have learnt by now." His hands turned into fists. "I should never have loved her."

Nod shook his head. "That's wrong. I think you should have been with her."

"I was, for a little while."

Nod blinked. "Wait, what?"

Ronin's face fell into his palms again. "I was. Before your father died. I was stupid for doing it, but I did anyway. We'd recently been under attack, and I'd barely escaped with my life. When I went to see the Queen to report, we were alone. I couldn't help it. I kissed her. And she kissed back."

Nod blinked, looking at Ronin strangely.

"What?" Ronin asked.

"Nothing I just… I thought you never, you know, got the chance. Before." he said.

"I did. Multiple times. Sometimes she'd jump at me and kiss me as soon as we were out of sight. I never remember a time when I was happier."

"What happened? I mean, why didn't you go out and get married and-,"

"I lost your father."

Nod paused, as Ronin continued.  
"I lost your father, and then I realised I was a risk. A security risk, to the very thing I was trying to protect. I told her that, and naturally she tried to talk me out of it but…"

"You ended it."

"I tore myself up inside about it, and every nerve in my body told me it was wrong, but I guess my head won over my heart." He shrugged. "And now I think I just regret it even more."

* * *

 _The leafmen returned home, victorious, but not without losses, and not without bruises. They landed their birds in the setting sun and got attended by healers. Ronin, Kori, Finn and Tara had been some of the first to return, Tara quickly being led back to her place in Moonhaven while Ronin and his friends got attended.  
Kori had smiled with a bruised face and said,_

 _"You look terrible." Slapping him on the shoulder that had just been bandaged._

 _"Ouch. Says you." Ronin had responded, punching him in the gut. They both turned as they heard a child's voice yell out, and Kori knelt down as Nod jumped into his arms._

 _Ronin had smiled and left the family to regroup, limping and leaving the rest of his troops to be healed._

 _And found himself in front of Tara's, making his way in. The ferns moved aside for him, some of the tendrils wrapping at his fingers and hands, brushing the bruises and bandaged spots on him. He wasn't even wearing all his armour. The plates and guards had been cracked and scratched and burned and had pressed against his wounds, so he'd thrown them off in annoyance after the fight._

 _One of the larger leaves lowered down to him, holding rain water in the bowl created by its dip. He tilted his head, looked around slowly, and smiled. He dipped his sore hands into the water and drank a little, then splashed his face, rubbing as much of the grime away as he could manage. he dried his face on his own shirt sleeve, unafraid of getting dirty, considering it already was. He normally would be ashamed of this appearance while coming to see the Queen, but they had been through a lot, and he needed to make sure she was okay first. Besides, if memory recalled, she had been equally dirty._

 _Even though he had begged her to stay behind for her to take care of the Boggans, Tara had appeared at the scene none-the-less, healing plants, helping the fallen, and giving the Boggans everything she had. She'd probably been the main reason for their victory._

 _He continued on, letting the vines twist against him, as if trying to heal him._

 _"Your majesty?" he asked quietly, when reaching the platform she usually was. He kneeled, and looked around with concern._

 _"Ronin." She said from somewhere, not sounding surprised. She stepped out from a cluster of green branches, and then ran forward. She was still in a state, but that seemed to not bother her. Ronin stood, and before he could stop himself he was accepting her embrace, his burned and injured arms pulling her into him, the burns screaming in complaint, but easy to ignore as he felt her face tucked into his chest._

 _"Are you in any pain your majesty?" he asked, not letting her go._

 _She shook her head, and looked up at him. "Not as much as you."_

 _"But you're still hurt"_

 _"We all got hurt Ronin. I'll be fine."_

 _"If you need a healer I'll go get one right away-,"_

 _"Ronin I'm fine, please."_

 _He sighed, and brushed some hair back from her face, her arms still around his neck. His fingers trailed through her loose hair._

 _"Everything would be lost if you got hurt." He whispered._

 _She smiled with a raised eyebrow. "So serious."_

 _"It's my job."_

 _"You're not on duty."_

 _"Actually, I am."_

 _She placed a palm on the side of his face tenderly, and he turned into it, his lips brushing her skin. She smelled of health and green. He opened his eyes again and looked at her, finding a sweet smile and eyes so bright he thought he might drown in them. He wanted to drown in them. He leaned forward, realising he was going to drown in them._

 _His lips met hers softly, both closing their eyes. Her fingers trailed into his short hair, feeling so good there. So natural. He kissed her again, and again. And she didn't pulled way, she didn't slap him and scream 'how dare you.' She kissed him back and pulled him strongly against her body. He started to feel dizzy with the happiness buzzing throughout his whole body, the tension within his heart released. Both of his arms were wound around her back, his palms spread, trying to touch her whole form without crossing too many boundaries._

 _He pulled back for a moment, both breathing heavily from the kiss that could have lasted an eternity and they wouldn't have realised._

 _"I never expected that from you," Tara said quietly, with a laugh, her hand brushing his cheek. "You're the stoic soldier on duty."_

 _"And for once in my life, I don't care." He whispered, and then pulled her back to his lips. Her hands wondered further on him, but he kept his firmly at her back. She was tender where the woven bandages were, and strong where his muscles curved beneath his skin, on his chest, torso, back, neck. Where her fingers brushed him, he tingled and sometimes there would be a shot of electricity up his spine._

 _He moved his lips down her neck, kissing her tenderly, feeling her goose-bumps rise all over her at his attention to her nerve. He kissed behind an ear and felt her tense slightly, and the more he kissed there, the more her hand gripped at the back of his neck. He kissed her jawbone and felt her put her head further back, so kissed her exposed throat right down to the dip in her collar bone, but went no further._

 _He pulled back again, breathing heavily, and placed his fore-head on her slender shoulder, while she put her face in the space between his shoulder and neck, breathing into his neck and making him shudder happily._

 _"I should be executed for this." He said, suddenly realising what he had just done._

 _"Never." Tara sat back, one hand on each side of his face, making him look at her. "We both wanted this. That's not a crime."_

 _"I'm the commanding officer, your defender. It is my duty to protect you, and Duty comes before wants."_

 _"So you want me?" She asked slyly, pouting and raising an eyebrow, tilting her head._

 _"No. Well yes. I mean-,"_

 _Tara laughed, and kissed him quickly. "Good."_

 _"Good?"_

 _"Uh huh. Because I'll tell you a secret." She leaned forward, and whispered into his ear in a way that made him shudder again, almost falling to his knees as she said, "I want you too."_

 _He went to his knees. It was so sudden that he laughed. His nerves had failed him. She laughed as well, and then kneeled down in front of him, putting her hand back on his neck._

 _"Are you really surprised?" She asked, still laughing, "After all this time?"_

 _"Yes. I'm not right for you. You always say I'm serious, and you're not. You deserve someone you can laugh with. To have fun with."_

 _"We have fun, and I think you overestimate how serious you are. I've seen you mess around with the soldiers."_

 _He looked away. "I don't deserve you."_

 _"If you don't, then_ no one _does." She pulled his face back to look at her. "Do you love me Ronin?"_

 _He managed a smile, "I love you Tara. I haven't always but…I always will."_

 _She leaned in and kissed him softly, and whispered, "Then that's good enough for me."_

 _He returned the kiss, less hesitant, but the part of his heart dedicated to duty was trying to crush everything good about this. Trying to still his blood and slow his heart and cut off the tingling nerves that spread over him like waves._

 _She kissed his neck once, and he felt the shock again, his fingers gripping at her hair._

 _"Sweet spot huh?" She asked into his neck._

 _"If anyone was going to find it, it would be you." He brought her head back so he could kiss her lips again, sighing happily, not believing how good this was. It was too good to be real. Her hands had slithered up his shirt around his back, and then trailing to the front of his chest and torso. He let her explore, while he focused on her lips. He felt the familiar feathery vines on him, snaking up his shirt as well, and before he knew, he didn't have a shirt on anymore. It felt better. One less thing between them._

 _She brought her head back, breaking the kiss, and looked at him. She trailed one of his largest scars across his belly, down to the bone of his waist, then followed another on his chest with her fingers. He couldn't tell what her expression was, so he twisted his fingers into her hair again, and said,_

 _"I can put the shirt back on if it makes you feel better."_

 _She smiled. "No. I just never thought…" She trailed off, taking in the vast amount of scars he had._

 _"Boggans are stupid as anything, but they don't always miss their mark." He said. "And I've fought a lot of them. So have you."_

 _"I don't have anywhere near this many scars."_

 _"You're too quick for them."_

 _"Or too clever."_

 _"Or maybe just quick."_

 _She whacked him on the chest as they laughed. "Is that how you talk about your queen?"_

 _"Only with her permission." He grabbed one of her hands and kissed her fingers lightly, as she leaned forward and placed her head against his chest, He breathed in deeply, kissing her forehead and then her hair._

 _"I should be checking on my soldiers." He said sadly, his hands running up and down Tara's back, both of them still on their knees._

 _"I order you to stay." She responded, jabbing a finger at his chest. "I want you here. You can guard me all night."_

 _He swallowed, trying to understand what she was implying, or implying anything at all. The way she was looking at him made him think it was the first._

 _"That might not be the wisest decision."_

 _"Why not?" She whined with a pout. "You would simply be on guard in my chambers in case something tries to sneak in."_

 _"No one has ever been on guard directly in your chambers. They'd suspect something."_

 _"And? I'm the Queen, I will choose who I spend my time with, and what I do with that time."_

 _"But…" Ronin couldn't think of anything to argue against it. She smiled at him, and he sighed with a smile back, running a thumb up and down her neck. He kissed her again, and felt her press her whole body into him. He wrapped his arms around her body, and then lifted her onto his lap, having to bend his neck back to kiss her, but he didn't mind. Her weight in his lap, her closeness to him, made it all the better. Made it the best._

 _She kissed his forehead and he kissed her collarbone, following the defined bones with his lips, and to her shoulder, then moved to the same bone on the other side. She sighed above him and paused in her own kisses, letting him move his lips and tongue around her neck and chest and jawbone._

 _She placed a finger under his chin and made him look up, then kissed him harder than she had before, tightening her legs on his waist, her fingers grasping what she could of his hair. He couldn't stifle the groan that followed, but instead of pushing him away, she dug her nails into the back of his neck and made his heart beat even faster than it already was. Through his closed eyelids he could see the world get darker, as the sun set, and the shade of Tara's plants darkening it further._

 _Ronin's hands ran down her sides, his thumbs brushing the outer round shapes of where her breasts were bound beneath her clothing, then they went down to her hips, and pulled her to him harder, felling her help him with that and pushing her hips into his, making him groan again._

 _"Tara, this is getting dangerous," he breathed, and he heard the desire in his own voice, despite the words._

 _"We want this." She responds, just as breathily as him, and he kissed her hard, both of them pushing into each other desperately. Tara leaned forward, until Ronin was forced to lie on his back with her on top of him, now her weight fully pressing down on all of him._

 _Her skin tasted delicious as she kissed her neck again, while she kissed his bare shoulder. She reached his sweet spot and made him arch his back as a shock ran through him. He gritted his teeth, trying to force himself under control, but it was getting harder. And it wasn't the only thing that was.  
His fingers pried under the gap in the back of her fighting dress, then he pushed his hands fully under the fabric and wrapped his hand over her shoulder while his arm pressed from her back, his other hand also under her dress and reaching her hip bone, gripping her there._

 _She sat up slowly, and he followed her, not wanting to let go of her for a second. As he kissed her chest again, avoiding going any lower, she untied her hair and let it fall around her shoulders, framing her face and falling down her shoulder and back. He paused long enough to run his hands through his, brushing out the smaller braids. She placed her fore-head against his, smiling, and then closed her eyes as he kissed her cheek and continued to massage through her hair.  
He saw movement and panicked, but realised it was only her plants, some of the larger leaves and vines starting to move around them, and then converging, creating a shelter which was almost completely dark._

 _Ronin kicked off his boots with ease, and kissed her fiercely, almost dragging his nails down her exposed back._

 _"I won't be your first, will I?" Tara asked mockingly._

 _There was few moment of silence before he had to admit it. "No. There has been a few, but not many. And not for a long, long time. You're the first I Love." He saw her nod, even in the gloom._

 _"At least you'll know what you're doing."_

 _He laughed. "You can be the judge of that." He reached up and brushed the side of her cheek, followed her neck down, until his fingers were on the inner part of her dress. He slowly pulled it down her shoulder, and she let him. He pulled it further, and the grabbed the other side and did the same there, until she was bare to the waist. He leaned forward and kissed her in her sensitive spots, and she threw her back, gasping. Ronin kissed down her chest and belly, then trailed his lips up again slowly, her fingers digging into his shoulders. She rocked lightly back and forth on his hips, and made Ronin suck in air through his teeth suddenly, his teeth gritting again._

 _"Did I hurt you?" she asked quickly._

 _"No." he kissed her, and then whispered, "Do it again."_

 _She did, and he breathed in quickly through his nose. He swallowed and then relaxed as she stopped. His hands were at her knees pulling the dress away until her knees were bare, and then trailed his hands up her thighs slowly, pushing the dress further back as he went. His hands found her hips, feeling the undergarments there, but he ignored them for now._

 _Tara kissed him with more urgency, and grabbed his hands softly and pushing them to where the rest of the dress gathered. He gripped the edge and pulled them up, breaking the kiss long enough to pull the dress over her head and let it drift to the ground next to them._

 _She surged back to his lips, her hands holding his face as her mostly bare self, pressed into his bare chest. Her skin on his made him ecstatic, his hands travelling from her hips to her back to her shoulders to her legs, trying to touch all of her._

 _There was a horn blown from outside._

 _Both of them turned their head to the sound, still as entwined as the plants that hid them from view._

 _"There must be more soldiers coming back." Ronin said, recognizing the pattern of horn blows that followed. He turned to her, looking so forlorn it made her heart ache a little._

 _He kissed her, deeply, then broke it. "I'm sorry Tara. I have to go check on them. I'll come back tonight."_

 _"You better," She said with a smile, and then had to hold onto him tighter as Ronin stood with her still wrapped around his waist, holding her above him. "Very impressive."_

 _"Thank you, your majesty."_

 _They kissed once more, then Ronin placed her on the ground again, then picked up her dress, dusting it off as much as he could, ignoring how she was standing in her splendour before him, and cursing the world for breaking them apart when they had been so close. Tara stepped into her dress and pulled it up and around her in one fluid motion._

 _Ronin put his boots and shirt on just as quickly. As the leaves and plants started moving apart, Ronin turned and hugged her, holding her tight. He kissed her forehead._

 _"I'll be back later."_

 _"Maybe I'll hide."_

 _"I'll find you." He said, then walked backwards with his arms sliding from hers, then he spun on his heel and jogged out to see what the fuss was about._

 _Tara watched him go, grinning so hard that she had to bite her lip and press her mouth against her fist, the other wrapping around her side, trying to capture the feeling of Ronin's arms that had been there only a minute ago.  
She giggled to herself, then through her head back and spun with her arms wide, not believing what had just happened.  
_  
He kissed me, _she thought,_ he kissed me everywhere. _It had felt so good. Amazingly good. Perfect.  
She sighed happily, then made her way over to her chambers to clean herself up, and then planned to be right behind Ronin as he helped the rest of his platoons.  
_


End file.
